Deploying 'hetnets' to meet mobile broadband demands
Nov. 14, 2012
Ericsson white paper includes an examination of typical scenarios describing "hetnets [heterogeneous networks] in action."
A white paper from Ericsson is entitled Heterogeneous Networks: Meeting Mobile Broadband Expectations with Maximum Efficiency.
The paper's premise is that, with the rapid growth of mobile broadband traffic driven by the propagation of connected devices such as smartphones and tablets, user expectations are on the rise. To provide an effective mobile broadband experience, networks require sufficient capacity and coverage to deliver high data throughput with very low latency. One approach for achieving this is to deploy a heterogeneous network, commonly referred to as a "hetnet."
The paper goes on to explain how "designing a heterogeneous network in the most effective way involves improving, densifying and adding to the mobile broadband infrastructure" by: improving existing macro cell sites; densifying the macro network; and adding small cells. "The key is to find the right mix," states the document, "In other words, where to improve, densify and add to meet future capacity and coverage demands."
Key factors to this process include the macro site density of existing networks, the availability of mobile backhaul (whether owned or leased), the availability of spectrum (whether licensed or unlicensed), estimated traffic volumes, and required data rates -- as well as the technical and economic feasibility of each individual approach. The paper concludes with an examination of typical scenarios describing "hetnets in action."
